Airplane mounted fire extinguishing apparatus



Sept. 2; 1947. c. B. A P 2 426,171

AIRPLANE MOUNTED FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS Filed ot. 9, 1944INVENTOR. 57/421555. Hem? Patented Sept. 2, 1947 UNITED STATES ATENTOFFICE AIRPLANE MOUNTED FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS 3 Claims.

This invention relates to fire fiighting equipment, and particularlypertains to a method and means of controlling and extinguishing firesWhen large confiagrations are started it often occurs that they are ofsuch a character or are spread over terrain which makes theminaccessible to the usual fire fighting equipment.v This is particularlytrue in connection with forest fires which burn over the sides ofmountains and into the intermediate valleys where trails and roads donot exist or are not in condition t allow fire fighting equipment to betransported conveniently. In such instances the most effective commonpractice of combatting such conflagrations is to backfire. This involvesthe burning of an addl tional amount of desirable ground covering andtimber which could be saved if fire fighting equipment was available fora convenient operation. It is the principal object of the presentinvention, therefore, to provide a method and means of fighting fireswhich can be used independently of roads and trails and which makes itpossible for the source of a conflagration to be reached in a relativelyshort period of time as compared to the time required to drive trucksand other equipment to the scene of the fire.

The present invention contemplates the direct application of a liquid orgaseous agent for eX- tinguishing a fire, and which agent is spread overthe area of conflagration from an airplane as it travels over the area.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective showing an airplane and theapplication of the present invention thereto.

Figure 2 is a view in transverse section through the airplane as seen onthe line 2-2 of Figure'l and shows the fire extinguishing apparatus andthe manner in which it is mounted in the plane.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, It indicates the fuselageof an airplane having wings II and I2. It is to be understood thatvarious types of airplanes might be used for the present purpose butthat it is believed more desirable to provide an airplane constructed sothat the wings H and IE will be positioned low on the sides of thefuselage, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, so that the under faces [3and I4 of the wings ID and II, respectively, will merge with the bottomsurface l5 of the floor of the fuselage of the airplane. Mounted withina cargo compartment 16 which is built within the fuselage are supplytanks 11 within which a fire extinguishing agent is placed. It is to beunderstood that any desired number of these tanks may be used to receivethe liquid or gaseous fire extinguishing agent, and that they areequipped with piping which makes it possible for them to beinterconnected for use in series or for use separately.

Th tank are provided with suitable pressure regulators l8 and areconnected by piping 59 with a source of compressed air or inert gaswhich is preferably contained in a series of tanks 20. It will beunderstood that by using multiple tanks '5 and N3 the tanks will be ofconvenient size so that they may be mounted within the airplane orremoved therefrom. The tanks I! are connected with distributor pipes illand 22 which extend outwardly within the wing sections H and I2preferably adjacent to the trailing edges of the wings and close to thelower wing surfaces [3 and [4. These distributor pipes also extendacross the lower surface E5 of the fuselage and are fitted with aplurality of downwardly directed discharge nozzles 23 to project jets ofliquid downwardly across the slip stream of air passing along the underfaces of the wings. These nozzles are equally spaced along thedistributing pipes and in connection therewith and project downwardlythrough the lower wing surfaces 13 and l 4 and the floor surface 15. Itis to be understood that these nozzles may be of any desiredconstruction so that.

they can be adjusted to discharge a suitable jet of fire extinguishingfluid either as a stream or spray. The distributor pipes Z I and 22 arefitted with control valves 25 and 25, respectively, by which the fiow ofliquid from the supply tanks H to the distributor pipes may beestablished or interrupted and otherwise controlled. These valves arepreferably fitted with control members 2t leading to a convenient remotepoint in the airplane so that the valves may be opened and closedoptionally by the pilot.

In operation of the present invention the cylinders 28 are suitablycharged with a compressed air or inert gas and installed upon asupporting rack 21 within the body of the airplane. These tanks are thenconnected through piping l9 and may then be connected with previouslyfilled supply tanks ii. The supply tanks I! are filled with any liquidwhich has a tendency to retard combustion of burning material by wettingthe material or interrupt its combustion by chemical action, either byusing a liquid or a, gas. It will be understood that since variousliquids and gases having the above characteristics are commerciallyavailable they need not be separately specified herein. After theequipment is all installed within the airplane the airplane may be flownover 3 the area of ccnflagration at which time the controls 26 willmanipulate the valves 24-and 25 and allow the fluid to be dischargedfrom the nozzles 23 in a downwardly direction under a desired pressureestablished by the pressure regulator l8 and under the impelling forceof the compressed fluid within the tanks 20. The jets of liquid will beprojected downwardly across the slip stream of air andwill be dispersedsothat a sub stantially continuous curtain of liquid will be produced touniformly cover a wide burning area.

It will be recognized that a large Volume of fire extinguishing fluidmay be carried at one time intanks 11 suitably arranged within theairplane and that thus the fire extinguishing fluid may be directlyapplied to the burning material-from above and in a manner to smotherthe flame and render it incombustible. g

' It will thus be seen that the method and means of controlling andextinguishing fires here dis- A closeddsjsimple-in construction,provides means whereby fire-fighting: material may be delivered directlyto the=burning area by airplane without a thenecessary retardationoccurring when fire fighting equipment is drawn over theterrain, and

that italso 'provides means whereby the area of conflagration may beobserved in its entiretyand operations carried on to more eiiectivelyand quickly extinguish thefire;

While: I have shown the'preferred method of performing the present:invention and the preferredeapparatus for. practising said method, it isto be understood that-variations.might be made in. the steps ofprocedure, and that changes may be made in the combination, constructionand arrangement of parts of the apparatus by those skilled in theart-without departing from the spirit'of the-invention as claimed.

7 Having: thus described my invention, what I claimaand desire to secure.by LettersPatent is:

a 1-. Fire fighting apparatus, comprising an airplane,.distributingpipesinoorporated within the wings and extending along thetrailing edges thereof, a'plurality offluid dischargenozzles-connecting, with said a distributing pipes andprojectingdownwardly below the-bottom surfaces of said" wings, and asource of fire extinguishing fluid carried-by the airplane and-:withwhich saiddistributing. pipes areconnected; whereby said fluid may bereleased in a downwardly direction into'the atmosphere alongthe wings asdelivered from the source of supply and will be dispersed by theslipstream of air passing along the under faces of the wings.

2; Fire fighting apparatus, comprising an air-- plane,distributing-pipes incorporated within the wings and, extendingsubstantially the length of and along the trailing edges thereof, aplurality of fluid discharge nozzles arranged along and connecting withsaiddistributing pipes and extending downwardly through the bottomsurfaces of said wings to project liquid jets downwardly into the slipstream of air passing beneath the wings, a source of fire extinguishingfiuid'carried by the airplane and withwhich said distributing pipes areconnected, whereby said fluidmay be released into the atmosphere alongthe wings as delivered from the source of supply, and, means forimposing fluid pressure upon the fire ex-1 tinguishing fluid whereby itwill be discharged from the nozzles with force.

3; Fire fighting apparatus comprising an air- Y plane'having a fuselageand transversely extending wings, distributor pipes extending outwardlyfrom' the fuselage within and substantially throughout the length of thetrailing edge portion of thewings, a seriesofnozzles oarriedbysaiddistributing pipes and extending downwardly and outwardly throughthe lower wing coverings and 'across the" slip stream. of air passingalong the under facesof-the wings tanks mounted within the fuselageandcommunicating withsaid distributor pipes to deliver a.- supply of fireextinguishing fluid to said pipes and their nozzles,-

a' source of air under pressure actingupon the V fluid'within saidtanksto discharge the same, at

pressure regulator on the tanks to establish a,

desired fluid pressure within the tanks, and shutoff valve meansbetweenthe tanks and the distributing nozzles. r

' CHARLESHB. HARP.

REFERENCES; oi'rEn The following references are ofrecord in the" file"of this patent: V

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,264,390 Hamilton n Apr, 30,1918 1,997,669 Arcieri "Apr, 16,1935 1,580,301 Johnson Apr, 13,19261,604,290 King Oct.'26, 1926 2,359,573 MacKay 0013.3,1944 1,673,087:Morse June 12,1928 1,396,894 Stevens .Nov; 15,1921 1,779,617 Pavola Oct.28,1930 2,250,762 Haberlin July-'29,- :1941

FOREIGN' PATENTS Number Country Date France Mar; 14, 1927

